Written questions by Jones.

What steps she is taking to tackle road freight crime.

This Government understands the significant and damaging impact freight crime has on businesses and drivers and we are aware of worrying increases in its frequency.There are strong links between freight crime and serious, organised crime, which is a major threat to the national security and prosperity of the UK and estimated to cost the economy at least £47 billion annually.This Government is committed to tackling serious and organised crime in all its forms, and we are continuing to work closely with Opal, the police’s national intelligence unit focused on serious organised acquisitive crime, which has multiple thematic desks, including a vehicle crime intelligence desk which covers freight crime.We will continue to work with law enforcement agencies and invested stakeholders to change the unacceptable perception that freight crime is low risk and high reward and find solutions which will tackle it. I also recently met with Rachel Taylor MP, and Lilian Greenwood, Minister for the Future of Roads at the Department for Transport (DfT) to discuss this very matter.The DfT also hosts the Freight Council; this group regularly discusses crime against freight companies, and the Home Office works closely with DfT to engage with the sector on this issue through the Freight Council.

What discussions he has had with (a) representatives of the pharmaceutical industry, (b) the NHS, (c) Cabinet colleagues and (d) other stakeholders on indication-specific pricing of medications used in the treatment of more than one form of cancer.

My Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care has not held any meetings specifically on the topic of indication-specific pricing of medications used in the treatment of more than one form of cancer.

What steps he is taking to increase the number of patients with (a) suspected and (b) confirmed rare cancers who have access to treatments through clinical trials of medications currently approved for other indications.

The Department is committed to ensuring that all patients, including those with rare cancers, have access to cutting-edge clinical trials, including trials where medicines are repurposed, as well as innovative, lifesaving treatments.The Department is working to fast-track clinical trials to drive global investment into life sciences, improve health outcomes, and accelerate the development of medicines and therapies of the future, including for rare cancers. The Department invests £1.6 billion each year on research through its research delivery arm, the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). NIHR research expenditure for all cancers was £133 million in 2023/24, reflecting its high priority.The forthcoming National Cancer Plan will include further details on how we will improve outcomes for cancer patients across the country, including patients with rare cancers. It will ensure that more patients have access to the latest treatments and technology, and to clinical trials.The Government also supports the Rare Cancers Bill and its ambitions to incentivise clinical trials and access to innovative treatments for rare cancers.

What steps he is taking to improve the (a) recognition of the signs and symptoms of rare cancers by General Practitioners and (b) rate of referral to specialist diagnostic testing for patients who present with signs and symptoms of rare cancers.

The Government is committed to supporting the National Health Service to diagnose cancer, including rare and less common cancers, earlier and to treat them faster.The Department is taking steps to improve public awareness of cancer signs and symptoms, including rare and less common cancers, through supporting the NHS in streamlining referral routes, and increasing the availability of diagnostic capacity through the roll-out of more community diagnostic centres. The Department is also committed to ensuring that general practitioners have the right training and systems to identify cancer, including rare and less common cancers. The use of specific clinical decision support tools is agreed at a local level.Furthermore, the NHS is implementing non-specific symptom pathways for patients who present with vague and non-site-specific symptoms which do not clearly align to a tumour type. The Department will continue to look at opportunities to utilise artificial intelligence to transform diagnostic performance and ultimately bring down waiting times, including for cancer.The forthcoming National Cancer Plan will include further details on how the NHS will improve outcomes for all cancer patients, including for rare and less common cancers. The plan will aim to speed up diagnosis and treatment and will ensure that all patients have access to the latest treatments and technology.

What steps he is taking to improve turnaround times for genomic and biomarker testing of suspected cancers in (a) Berkshire and (b) the UK.

Genomic testing in the National Health Service in England is delivered by a network of seven NHS Genomic Laboratory Hubs (GLHs), with the South-East GLH serving Berkshire. Genomic testing is one element of the cancer pathway, with other dependencies on overall turnaround times. NHS England captures Patient Level Contract Monitoring data across the GLHs, and performance data is published quarterly on the NHS England website, with further information available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/genomic-testing-activity/NHS England has developed a Cancer Genomic Improvement Programme to support the equitable delivery of services for cancer patients. The Cancer Genomic Improvement Programme engages representatives from across the entire sample pathway. The programme also includes establishing Cellular Pathology Genomic Centres to streamline diagnostic sample pathways and support the timely return of genomic test results.NHS England is not responsible for NHS turnaround times in Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland.

If he will take steps to ensure that the National Genomic Test Directory for Cancer is expanded to include known biomarkers for rare forms of cancer.

The National Genomic Test Directory includes tests for over 7,000 rare diseases and over 200 cancer clinical indications, and includes both whole genome sequencing (WGS) and non-WGS testing. It is updated annually, following a robust and evidence-based process, with a fast-track scheme in place to make in-year changes. ​The NHS Genomic Medicine Service has implemented next generation sequencing pan-cancer panels for solid tumours and haematological malignancies, including for rare cancers, as well as WGS for cancer patients. This has enabled testing for a larger number of genetic variations, the identification of known biomarkers to target treatment, and improved eligibility for clinical trials.In April 2025, NHS England and National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) published a genomic testing pathway to support the rapid, safe adoption of innovation in genomics, including, for example, new testing for known biomarkers, into the National Health Service. Further information on the NICE genomic testing pathway is available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/nhs-england-nice-genomic-testing-pathway/

What assessment his Department has made of the merits of including PSA testing in routine NHS health checks.

The UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC) has commissioned a university to carry out a high quality review and cost effectiveness model of the evidence for a national prostate cancer screening programme. This includes considering evidence that looks at targeted screening using prostate-specific antigen (PSA) testing, as well as looking at other screening tests.The UK NSC’s previous review in 2020 advised against screening because the current best test, the PSA test, is not accurate. As a result, it can lead to some men receiving false reassurance when they do actually have prostate cancer, and others receiving unnecessary further tests when they did not have prostate cancer.We need a better test, which is why the Government has invested £16 million in the TRANSFORM trial, to look for a better test.

If he will make it his policy to establish a regular bladder cancer audit to (a) reduce data gaps in the reporting of (i) incidence and (ii) staging, (b) capture data on inequalities and (c) provide an evidence base for addressing unwarranted variation in early diagnosis and outcomes for bladder cancer.

The NHS Cancer Programme commissioned the Royal College of Surgeons to deliver six new clinical audits, in primary breast cancer, metastatic breast cancer, ovarian cancer, pancreatic cancer, non-Hodgkin lymphoma, and kidney cancer, on top of four existing audits in bowel, lung, oesophago-gastric, and prostate cancer. These audits were chosen because analysts considered that they are the cancers which audits would have the most potential to reduce unwarranted variation in treatment and outcomes. For these reasons, there are no plans to undertake a clinical audit for bladder cancer.The National Cancer Plan will include further details on how we will improve outcomes for cancer patients, including those with bladder cancer, as well as speeding up diagnosis and treatment, ensuring patients have access to the latest treatments and technology, and ultimately bringing this country’s cancer survival rates back up to the standards of the best in the world.

If he will announce a timeline for the NHS Genomic Medicine Service to establish a public facing dashboard setting out data on (a) turnaround times and (b) volume of testing activity across each genomic laboratory hub.

Since December 2023, National Health Service genomic testing activity data has been published on the NHS England website, and is available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/genomic-testing-activity/This standardised data is collected from all NHS Genomic Laboratory Hubs (GLHs). GLHs and NHS England will continue to publish genomic testing activity data on a quarterly basis. Currently, only activity data is published, however there are plans to add turnaround time data in future publications.

How many (a) general practice surgeries and (b) other non-domestic organisations by sector have (i) applied for and (ii) received support through the boiler upgrade scheme.

The Boiler Upgrade Scheme does not have data specifying the nature of the business or a sector-level breakdown for non-domestic installations under the scheme. From May 2022 to April 2025, the scheme has received 394 non-domestic voucher applications, with 250 non-domestic grants paid. The Boiler Upgrade Scheme update and publish monthly statistics here, which includes number of grants paid by whether the property is domestic or non-domestic and technology type (tab 1.5), with further information on number of grants paid by whether the property is domestic or non-domestic broken down by financial year (tab A1.4).

What steps his Department is taking to increase uptake of the Boiler Upgrade Scheme among (a) GP practices and (b) other small non-domestic buildings.

The Boiler Upgrade Scheme continues to provide grants of up to £7,500 for small non-domestic property owners, with the threshold for single heat pump installations set at 45kWh. The grants are in addition to the 0% rate of VAT on the installation of heat pumps and biomass boilers, currently up until March 2027. To support uptake, the Government is performing communications targeted at non-domestic consumers to increase awareness and knowledge of the scheme and are continuing to engage with stakeholders to understand more about how to reduce barriers to heat pump deployment in these buildings. The approach to decarbonising non-domestic buildings more broadly will be set out in October this year.

If he will make it his policy to fund a single digital tracking system for cancer tissue samples provided for genomic testing, so that that they may be tracked at every point of their journey.

Genomic testing in the National Health Service in England is provided through the NHS Genomic Medicine Service (NHS GMS). A central feature of the NHS GMS is the National Genomic Test Directory. The Test Directory outlines the full range of genomic tests that are commissioned and sets out the technology by which tests are available.NHS GMS provides a national Genomics Unit which is responsible for strategic oversight, direction, commissioning and funding and performance monitoring of genomics service.As the Department focuses on shifting from analogue to digital, we will continue to review opportunities to utilise artificial intelligence and digital innovations to speed up diagnostic performance, including for genomic testing, and bring down waiting times that will ultimately improve patient care and outcomes.  Furthermore, to support more extensive cancer genomic testing, NHS England is working to ensure collaboration between pathology and genomics networks to address issues including capacity, networking and optimisation of cancer tissue pathways.Additionally, the National Cancer Plan, due for publishing later in 2025, will cover the entirety of the cancer pathway, from referral and diagnosis to treatment and ongoing care- as well as prevention, research and innovation, including for genomic testing pathways.

Whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of targeted screening for chronic kidney disease high-risk populations.

The UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC) previously examined the evidence for a population screening programme for kidney disease in 2011 and recommended that a national screening programme should not be introduced. This was because, amongst other things, there was no evidence that screening would be effective at improving outcomes for those with a positive result, and programmes in other countries have not been found to be clinically or cost effective.Following the expansion of the UK NSC’s remit in 2022 to consider targeted and risk-stratified screening alongside population screening, the committee has not received a request to examine the evidence for a targeted screening programme for chronic kidney disease in high-risk populations. The UK NSC does however run an annual call whereby members of the public and stakeholders are encouraged to submit proposals to the UK NSC to consider either new screening programmes, modifications to existing screening programmes, request for an early update or consider stopping a screening programme. More information is available on the UK NSC website at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/uk-national-screening-committeeThe NHS Health Check is a free check-up of one’s overall health for people aged between 40 and 74 years old. As part of the health check, kidney disease is one of the conditions that is looked at to inform the individual as to whether they may be at a higher risk of getting certain health problems such as:- heart disease;- diabetes;- kidney disease; and- stroke.During the check-up, there is a discussion about how to reduce one’s risk of these conditions.

Whether he plans to require Genomic Laboratory Hubs to adopt standardised reporting templates for genomics reports.

Professional groups, including the Association for Clinical Genomic Science, produce best practice guidance and standard templates for members on reporting genomic results to clinicians. Further information on the Association for Clinical Genomic Science is available at the following link:https://www.acgs.uk.com/In line with the data and digital elements in the NHS Genomics Strategy, moving forward, National Health Service Genomic Laboratory Hubs will be mandated to provide standardised reporting and structured data. Further information on the NHS Genomics Strategy is available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/genomics/genomics-strategy/This would support a consistent approach to reporting genomic data and enable the development of a Unified Genomic Record. This would enable patients to access insights from their genomic data where and when they are needed, as well as facilitating access to clinical trials, supporting other research and informing population health initiatives.

What assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of the reorganisation of NHS England into his Department on the provision of cancer screening programmes in England.

I refer the Hon. Member to the answer I gave on 22 May 2025 to Question 53355.

What steps his Department is taking to ensure that the availability of availability of cancer drugs is maintained during the reorganisation of NHS England.

Whilst this transformation takes place, we will ensure that we continue to evaluate impacts of all kinds and will work collaboratively to ensure continuity of care and that there are no risks to patient safety. Throughout the organisational change, NHS England will continue to undertake all its statutory functions, until parliamentary time allows for legislative changes to be made. Responsible commissioners will continue to be required to fund medicines for eligible patients in line with recommendations from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence.

What mechanisms his Department has in place to monitor the availability of cancer services during the reorganisation of NHS England into his Department.

Whilst this transformation takes place, we will ensure that we continue to evaluate impacts of all kinds, and we will work collaboratively to ensure continuity of care and that there are no risks to patient safety.We continue to work to reduce the time that people are waiting for a diagnosis of cancer and to start treatment, including through the Government’s investment of £70 million of central funding to replace outdated radiotherapy machines, to ensure the most advanced treatment is available to the patients who need it. We will also support the National Health Service to increase capacity to meet the demand for diagnostic services through investment, including magnetic resonance imaging and computed tomography scanners.To achieve this, in line with 2025/26 Planning Guidance, we have asked systems to continue to improve performance against the 28-day faster diagnosis standard to 80%, and the 62-day referral to treatment standard to 75% by March 2026.

What assessment he has made on the potential impact of abolishing NHS England on the availability of (a) abiraterone and (b) other similar drugs.

Whilst this transformation takes place, we will ensure that we continue to evaluate impacts of all kinds and will work collaboratively to ensure continuity of care and that there are no risks to patient safety. Throughout the organisational change, NHS England will continue to undertake all its statutory functions, until parliamentary time allows for legislative changes to be made. Responsible commissioners will continue to be required to fund medicines for eligible patients in line with recommendations from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence.

If he will make an estimate of the number of cancer patients who will stop receiving personal independence payments following proposed welfare reforms.

Information on the impacts of the Pathways to Work Green Paper has been published here ‘Pathways to Work: Reforming Benefits and Support to Get Britain Working Green Paper’(opens in a new tab).Impacts of the proposed changes depend on many factors including how the mix of conditions among claimants evolves over time, and behavioural responses. These impacts are uncertain at an overall England and Wales level, and it would not be possible to make an informed assessment at such a granular level as individual primary medical conditions.The number of people currently on PIP who did not score 4 points in one category in their last assessment should not be equated with the number who are likely to lose PIP in future. It’s important to make a clear distinction between the two, not least because we don’t want constituents to be unnecessarily fearful about their situation, when we understand many are already anxious. Someone who did not score 4 points in an activity in a previous assessment may well score 4 points in a future assessment as conditions change over time.Changes to PIP eligibility aren’t coming into effect immediately. Our intention is these changes will start to come into effect from November 2026, subject to parliamentary approval. PIP changes will only apply at the next award review after November 2026. The average award review period is about three years.We are consulting on how best to support those who are affected by the new eligibility changes, including how to make sure health and eligible care needs are met. PIP is not based on condition diagnosis, but on functional disability as the result of one or more conditions and is awarded as a contribution to the additional costs which result.We have also announced a wider review of the PIP assessment which I am leading, and we will bring together a range of experts, stakeholders and people with lived experience to consider how best to do this and to start the process as part of preparing for a review. We will provide further details as plans progress.

If he will review (a) guidelines and (b) referral criteria for the direct rectal examination for prostate cancer.

The Government is committed to ensuring that all patients with cancer, including prostate cancer, are diagnosed faster and more accurately, with the most appropriate diagnostic methods available. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is the independent body that develops authoritative, evidence-based guidance on best practice for health and social care professionals in England.Current NICE guidance does not recommend digital rectal examination for diagnosing prostate cancer. NICE does recommend digital rectal examination as part of the physical examination that should be offered to all men with lower urinary tract symptoms as part of their initial assessment. The guidelines are available at the following link:https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng12/chapter/Recommendations-organised-by-site-of-cancer#urological-cancers